Washington - A U.S.-based Jewish group Thursday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion to house disputed historical collections of books and documents at a Jewish museum in Moscow.

Nathan Lewin, a lawyer for the Jewish group Chabad, said in a statement provided to The Associated Press that Chabad is the rightful owner and Putin’s proposal is not acceptable.

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“The collection must be returned to the Agudas Chasidei Chabad library at Chabad’s worldwide headquarters in Brooklyn, New York,” Lewin said.

Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court here last month fined Russia $50,000 a day until it returns the documents to Chabad. On Tuesday, at a meeting of government officials at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, Putin floated the idea of transferring them to the museum as a way to resolve the impasse. He said all the sides in the dispute should “strive not to inflame the situation but search for a solution,” The New York Times reported.

Russian news agencies reported that Putin criticized Lamberth’s ruling, saying “discussion of this problem has taken on elements of confrontation.” Russia claims the collections are state property. Last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the ruling “an absolutely unlawful and provocative decision” and threatened a tough response if U.S authorities try to seize Russian property in an attempt to get the fines.

Russia had earlier halted all art exhibit loans to the U.S., fearing they would be seized and held hostage in the court battle. That’s despite Chabad’s assurance in court filings that it will not go after any art deemed culturally significant by the State Department — which is the case for major exhibitions. Such art is already protected from legal claims under the Immunity from Seizure Act.

There are two collections at issue: 12,000 religious books and manuscripts seized during the Bolshevik revolution and the Russian Civil War nearly a century ago; and 25,000 pages of handwritten teachings and other writings of religious leaders stolen by Nazi Germany during World War II, then transferred by the Soviet Red Army as war booty to the Russian State Military Archive. The books and manuscripts, some hundreds of years old, record Chabad’s core teachings and traditions

The case has been dragging on for eight years, and efforts to get the materials returned date back decades, involving presidential administrations and members of Congress of both parties. Lamberth concluded earlier that the records are unlawfully held by the Russian State Library and the Russian military archive, and in 2010, he ordered the Russian government to turn them over to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow or to Chabad’s representative. But Russia refused, leading to the fines, which Russia hasn’t paid.

The Obama administration unsuccessfully urged Lamberth not to issue the fines, arguing they wouldn’t help resolve the dispute, would be counterproductive and would hurt U.S. foreign policy interests.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 11:47 AMShmuelG Says:

I knew Chabad wouldn't be fooled so easily. The "compromise" that the thieving Russians proposed is reduced to this: the sforim will remain with the ganovim, to be kept in the Russian government building on which they will affix the sign "Jewish Museum." This "compromise" will only be welcomed by the terminally stupid and naive, who wanted to capitulate to the Russian ganovim all along.

Our law enforcement should continue to pursue fines against Russia until that utterly useless country gives in.

As for the "art" exhibit loans mentioned at the conclusion of the article, let Russian savages keep those abominable icons to themselves. No yid is allowed to look at them (and most would likely be induced to vomit if they tried), and even decent American goyim are better off having never seen them.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 03:40 PMIsaac Says:

Placing Holy Seforim and writings in the Russian owned Musuem reminds me of Achashverosh displaying the Holy items of the Beis Hamikdash at his own party. Are we supposed to be happy about that? Thieves dont have a right to dictate where the items they stole should be returned to ......

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Feb 21, 2013 at 03:46 PMAnonymous Says:

The rebbe didn't regret getting the seforim from gurary at all. And the famous video of the rebbe screaming @ the bocherim is b/c they were wasting time something to do with the seforim but he wasn't upset that he sued for the seforim.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 04:53 PMAnonymous Says:

Russia is a tax payer that never swallows the fortune of wellness for the ages. If they refuse to give back the books, we have to keep the pace and remain calm as jews. We are not here to start indignity matches with the horoscope of tomorrow. But let USA do its best to try to negotiate.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 06:08 PMAvi Says:

The Rebbe then said, that since the point of winning back the seforim was to learn, so why are you standing out side looking at the birds "go back I side and learn Torah!"

Every year following, especially in תשנ״ב the Rebbe stressed that ה׳ טבת ( the day chabad won the court case) is a יום זכאי and a יום סגולהThey won the ספרים in תשמ״ח ”

But the Rebbe realized, that, the time wasted on that morning looking at the birds, was a Fraction of the Bitul Zman for the past 5 months. Who even looks at these Seforim today? They're collecting dust.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 07:58 PMAnonymous Says:

“
what are yo talking about??? even the russians know it belonged to chabad . ”

Halachikaly, it no longer belongs to Chabad. Dina Demalchusa Dina and also the nature of war, creates a halachik loss of ownership. However, I see the irony where Lubavitch used Dina Derebbe Dina when they took seforim from Mr. Gurary.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 09:29 PMAnonymous Says:

“
But the Rebbe realized, that, the time wasted on that morning looking at the birds, was a Fraction of the Bitul Zman for the past 5 months. Who even looks at these Seforim today? They're collecting dust. ”

If you think that morning times of peace are a waste of time, you are reading the wrong books.

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Feb 21, 2013 at 11:16 PMesther Says:

“
Halachikaly, it no longer belongs to Chabad. Dina Demalchusa Dina and also the nature of war, creates a halachik loss of ownership. However, I see the irony where Lubavitch used Dina Derebbe Dina when they took seforim from Mr. Gurary. ”

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Feb 22, 2013 at 03:36 AMonlythetruth Says:

“
But the Rebbe realized, that, the time wasted on that morning looking at the birds, was a Fraction of the Bitul Zman for the past 5 months. Who even looks at these Seforim today? They're collecting dust. ”

Have you read any of the שיחות about ה׳ טבת?where the Rebbe is very strong about getting back all the seforimAnd afterwards continued to pursue the test that were still in Russia,In 1993 he appointed Rabbi Cunin and Rabbi Aronov to get back the rest of the seforim